| Ecommerce Home | Accounts | Getting Started | Tools/Guides | Contact Us | Search |
AVAILABLE FOR: iu= IU - www.indiana.edu, www.iupui.edu, www.iun.edu, www.iusb.edu, www.iuk.edu

IU Internet Payment Authorization System (IPAS)
Technical Guide

Table of Contents

Who should read this document?

IU merchants who run their own secure web server with Internet storefront software and want to accept credit card payments via their website for University-related goods and services.

Return to Top of Page

What is IPAS and how does it work?

The IU Internet Payment Authorization Service (IPAS) is the University-supported method for IU merchants to obtain authorization for credit card payments for purchases made at their website storefronts.

Important Note
During the authorization process, IPAS never retains a customer's credit card information in any form within the IPAS server computer nor does it communicate the information to any other recipient other than the PayPal Payflow Pro Service.

IPAS currently can process credit card payments for customers using VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. Contact the Office of the Treasurer for more information about card support.

IPAS uses the commercial PayPal Payflow Pro Service to perform the necessary credit card authorization function from a central IU server. This server computer contains the secure WWW server and the IPAS software (PayPal - and UITS-developed) that is used for processing a credit card payment request authorization that originates from a customer using a WWW browser.

IPAS has two main components, the single, official University Credit Card Data Entry Form into which customers enter their credit card information, and a supplied CGI program called ipasagent.cgi. IU merchants running their own secure web server access IPAS by integrating the use of the credit card data entry form and customizing portions of ipasagent.cgi for use with their storefront software.

It is the ipasagent.cgi program which accepts requests from the central IPAS server for purchase amounts associated with in-progress transactions at your website storefront. It also accepts replies from the central IPAS server concerning the outcome of the authorization attempt so that you may take appropriate actions to complete the transaction.

The basic steps in authorizing a credit card purchase with IPAS are described below.

Return to Top of Page

How do I get started?

  1. First, you should contact the Office of the Treasurer for a needs assessment, assistance in obtaining University ledger and PayPal accounts and familiarization with the PayPal Administrative Interface. Information about making these arrangements with the IU Treasurer is available.

  2. Second, you should apply for and obtain an Information Provider account on the central University web server, Webserve. The account name is required because it will be used for merchant identification purposes by IPAS and also allow access to the University-supplied software you will need to obtain and integrate into your storefront software in order to use IPAS.

    • When you apply for your account, be sure to indicate that the account is being requested in support of becoming an Internet merchant in cooperation with the Office of the Treasurer.

    • When you obtain your account name, notify the Office of the Treasurer so that they can register it with IPAS so that you can test your access to IPAS and PayPal later on.
    Information about applying for a central web server account is available.

  3. Third, since you will not be using the central University WWW servers for hosting your storefront, you must:

    • Demonstrate that the computer hosting the storefront is in compliance with the guidelines of the Office of the Treasurer and the University Information Policy Office.

    • Agree to use the University-supplied ipasagent.cgi software, and not bypass or modify specific functions within it in the process of integrating it with your storefront software.

Return to Top of Page

How do I get the ipasagent.cgi program?

Follow the steps below to retrieve and install a copy of the template ipasagent.cgi program:

  1. Important: You will need the account name and password that you received with your central WWW server account to retrieve a copy of the ipasagent.cgi program.

  2. You should decide where the ipasagent.cgi program will reside within your secure web server's CGI file area. This is important because you will be registering the resulting URL to the ipasagent.cgi program with the Office of the Treasurer.

  3. If possible, open a web browser on the computer that runs your secure web server and go to the location below. Enter your central WWW server account name and password when prompted and the text of the ipasagent.cgi program should appear.

    http://www.indiana.edu/~estore/ipasagent/get-ipasagent-pf.cgi

  4. Save the document as ipasagent.cgi (plain text) into the location you decided on in step 2 above.

  5. Edit the ipasagent.cgi program and insert values for the variables in the section marked 'MERCHANT-SPECIFIC VARIABLES'. These variables are shown below. 

    $IPAS_ValidMerchantName = "{insert account name here}";
$IPAS_AuthSuccessURL    = "{insert full URL here}";
$IPAS_AuthFailureURL    = "{insert full URL here}";

  6. Any ipasagent.cgi program portions between the banners shown below should not be modified or bypassed. 
    #################################################################
# START OF OF SECTION THAT MUST NOT BE MODIFIED OR BYPASSED ***
#################################################################
#################################################################
# END OF SECTION THAT MUST NOT BE MODIFIED OR BYPASSED ***
#################################################################

Return to Top of Page

How do I integrate IPAS with my storefront software?

Return to Top of Page

How can I test my storefront without going 'live' with the public?

It is strongly advised that you create a rigorous plan for testing your storefront with the IPAS server and PayPal. There are 2 levels of testing that you can perform with IPAS, PayPal and the IU Office of the Treasurer before you allow real customers to make real purchases, the evidence of which shows up in the IU general ledger associated with your account. This can be thought of as 'going live'.

How do I 'go live'?

When you and the IU Treasurer are satisfied that your website storefront is handling purchases assisted by IPAS and PayPal properly, and that the transctions are appearing correctly in the IU general ledger, you can agree on a date and time when your entire IPAS/PayPal-enabled secure website storefront can be opened to Internet customers.

Return to Top of Page


Last Modified: 15 January 2009
Copyright 2009, The Trustees of Indiana University